The Six-Month Test: BMC TeamMachine SLR01

Jun 26, 2012

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Since Cadel Evans won the 2011 Tour de France, BMC has unveiled a pair of pro-level bikes, including the classics-oriented GrandFondo GF01 and a yet-to-be-publicized TMR01 aero bike. And while those bikes—in addition to the TT-oriented TimeMachine TM01—may factor in his title defense this Saturday, the Aussie will rely primarily on the same bike he won with last year, the TeamMachine SLR01. You might wonder why one of the best racers in the world doesn’t have a new bike model for the most important race of the season. Having spent the last half-year testing the SLR01, we have the answer: This bike is just that good.

THE FRAMEThe SLR01 is not BMC’s most expensive road frame. That honor goes to the Impec, a bicycle that took over five years and $40 million (in the form of a dedicated new factory) for the company to create. So why would Evans choose the SLR01 over this super bike? “Cadel prefers the compliance of the SLR01,” Markus Eggiman, BMC’s marketing manager told me. Put another way, the SLR01 is more comfortable than the Impec, and comfort is at the heart of the story of this bike.

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